Brassica juncea
Mustard greens
Common names: Indian mustard, Brown mustard, Mustard cabbage
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 20 cm, rows 30 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- Apr, May, Aug, Sep
- Harvest
- Jun, Jul, Oct, Nov
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below −6 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- For children
- Well suited
Photo: Dalgial · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The mustard cabbage is a fast‑growing leafy vegetable with a spicy‑sharp flavor reminiscent of mustard and arugula. When young it is eaten raw in salads; when older it is stir‑fried in a wok. It is a versatile filler that becomes especially aromatic in autumn when mild cool temperatures occur.
Care instructions
Plant it directly in the garden bed in spring (April, week 15) or better in late summer, because it bolts quickly under prolonged heat. Keep the soil moist for tender, mild leaves and harvest young leaves or whole rosettes. A net protects young plants in autumn from earth mites.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May, Aug–Sep
HarvestJun–Jul, Oct–Nov
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 3 to 7 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 1 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich
Indian mustard wants loose, humus-rich, evenly moist soil that is well drained. It does not tolerate waterlogging. As a brassica it is susceptible to clubroot: observe a rotation break of several years after other brassicas and avoid strongly acidic soil, since the pathogen thrives in acidity.
Brassicas are heavy feeders and susceptible to clubroot. Observe a 4-year rotation break and do not follow directly on from other brassicas such as radishes or mustard.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sep
Before sowing in spring or for late-summer cultivation, work mature compost shallowly into the soil. That covers the basic needs of this heavy feeder. With longer cultivation you can top up organically in summer. Do not feed too much nitrogen, otherwise the leaf becomes lush, more susceptible to pests and bitter in taste.
Overwintering
Indian mustard is annual and does not survive the winter as a plant in Central Europe. Sow it anew in spring or from high summer. Autumn sowings still tolerate light frosts, and you can keep harvesting them under horticultural fleece or in a polytunnel into early winter, before lasting frost freezes the leaves.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate Indian mustard exclusively from seed, which is the only practical method for this annual crop. You have two sowing windows: in spring, sow from March/April directly outdoors or raise it in pots (as soon as no hard frosts are expected), or use the main window from August to early October for the autumn and winter harvest. For autumn sowing in a sheltered bed, polytunnel or greenhouse, a staggered sowing every two to three weeks suits a continuous harvest. Sow the seeds about 1 cm deep in rows roughly 20 cm apart and later thin the seedlings to 10 to 15 cm in the row. Germination is quick (4 to 10 days) at soil temperatures from 10 °C, ideally around 15 to 20 °C. The soil should be loose, humus-rich and evenly moist; the plant does not tolerate waterlogging. Stored cool and dry, the seed stays viable for about three to four years, so you can easily harvest your own seed from selected plants before they have finished flowering completely.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
legume family (Fabaceae)
particularly well establishedLeguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.
For example Bush beanPole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled peaRunner bean and 35 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
carrot family (Apiaceae)
You can pair celery and dill with all Brassicaceae because they repel the cabbage whitefly with their scent, a proven companion.
For example CarrotCeleriacDillParsleyFlorence fennelCoriander and 21 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed-culture Practice
mint family (Lamiaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example LavenderThymeBasilRosemarySageHyssop and 43 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
nasturtium family (Tropaeolaceae)
Nasturtium serves as a trap plant for you. Aphids and cabbage whiteflies prefer it over the brassicaceae next to it.
For example NasturtiumMashua
Source: Trap plant practice in organic horticulture
Rather not
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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